I''ve just upgraded to 0.48.3.1 and noticed a step backwards in the functionality of erasing.

0.47- used to have a clumsy that eliminated the whole object at the path of the brush, while the real and more useful erasing options were under a secondary functionality of the . I.e. we used to erase part of an object (kind of classic use) with Alt+mouseDrag. That in fact was a substract-surface functionality, the complement of the add-surface one under Shift+mouseDrag. Therefore, the bunch of options for calligraphic tool (tremor, wiggle...) was applicable to it, making a very rich feature.


0.48.3.1 improved eraser tool. It looks like we now have the thing in its proper place but they forgot bringing the former options in the move. Funny, now Alt+mouseDrag at calligraphic tool do nothing!, so add-surface functionality lost its counterpart and so we did with all the options we used to have before.


I've never posted to Launchpad, and I just wanted to know your opinion before shouting it out over there.

Best.
Marcelo.

Marcelo wrote:0.48.3.1 improved eraser tool. (…)
Funny, now Alt+mouseDrag at calligraphic tool do nothing!, so add-surface functionality lost its counterpart and so we did with all the options we used to have before.

This is not true: the 'Subtract' feature of the calligraphy tool is unchanged in Inkscape 0.48.x (including the latest bug-fix release 0.48.3.1), and still works as described in the manual.

Possibly your window manager is interfering, and prevents that the 'Alt+drag' gesture ever reaches Inkscape's canvas? (Just a guess, since you don't provide any information about your OS/platform)

Or you changed the preferences for the calligraphy tool to not 'Select new path'? ('Subtract' only works if there is a current selection)

Hi ~suv .
I'm using Linux Debian and yes!... according to the topic you've pointed out to me ("How can I make Alt+click and Alt+drag work on Linux?"), it looks like it's a windows manager interference. I would have never imagined a relation to OS.

Thanks a lot.
M.

.... a secondary functionality of the . I.e. we used to erase part of an object (kind of classic use) with Alt+mouseDrag.

Oh my lord, look at that -- I had no idea!

Marcelo wrote:Hi ~suv .
I'm using Linux Debian and yes!... according to the topic you've pointed out to me ("How can I make Alt+click and Alt+drag work on Linux?"), it looks like it's a windows manager interference. I would have never imagined a relation to OS.

Often on Linux (though it does depend on the window manager you use) holding down the SUPER (i.e. WINDOWS) key as well as ALT will allow it to work within Inkscape but not be caught by your window manager.

Greeeeaaaaat! So there it was!

Editing my window manager's .xml preferences looked like easier compared with editing Inkscape's, as ~suv's link suggests first. So for those both using LXDE and preferring a definitive solution, this and this may help (note that none of them tells you the magic words that go in it, but they shouldn't be hard to guess). Meanwhile, to press an extra key is not that bad at all

Thanks very much. Solved to me.
Best.
M.